Like Coming Home
by rgs38
Summary: Wordy is stuck in a tricky situation when a trip to the store with his kids turns into a hostage situation. Cursing, references to suicide. No direct spoilers but some potential foreshadowing for "Fault Lines."
1. Chapter 1

Like Coming Home-Chapter 1

_I've been itching to post this! I've had the first few chapters hand written in my notes for a good week but I've had so much work to do that I knew if I typed it I'd be too tempted to write it. So, here we go, my newest Wordy story. He doesn't get enough screen time or love from anyone and he's too awesome to just be the backup man. Alright, so the normal little disclaimers and reminders: I don't own Flashpoint, though I will perpetually hope to write for it one day; and I'd greatly appreciate reviews. _

He walked through the front door of his home with a smile plastered on his face. It had been a great day: no hot calls, two easy warrants, a couple of hours of workout and some close quarters training. He closed the door and dropped his bag on the floor.

"I'm home." He said loudly as he heard footsteps scamper down the hall. He glanced at his watch, 4:30, the most wonderful time of day. He felt two small bodies latch onto his legs in tight hugs. After a few seconds, he felt the grips loosen and he looked at Claire and Danielle. They were in t-shirts and pants but Wordy was more confused by the scarves wrapped around their mouths and the monstrous dish gloves on their hands. He bent down and knelt next to Danielle untying the thick pink scarf from her face. "What are you guys playing?" He asked lightly, not sure what to make of their costumes.

"We're not playing Daddy." Claire said. Her voice was muffled from beneath the thick blue wool. Wordy was about to ask her what they were doing when he heard Shelly from the top of the stairs.

"Kevin?" She asked as she walked down the stairs. She looked exhausted as she took the last step down to the ground floor. "Claire, I told you not to take the kitchen gloves. Those are for dishes." Frustration was obvious in her voice as she held out a hand for them to surrender their gloves to. Wordy leaned in to kiss her and engulfed her in a hug.

"What's up, honey?" Wordy whispered softly. He put his arm around Shelly's shoulder and led her gently to the kitchen. He pulled a chair out from the table and motioned for her to sit down while he opened the door of the refrigerator.

"Ally's sick. Sh was up at six, right after you left and she hasn't been able to eat or sleep since. She can't even keep apple juice down. I just got her down for a nap." Shelly explained as Wordy brought a large glass of iced tea over to her. He sat next to her as she took a few large sips.

"Did you call the doctor?" He asked. She nodded her head before putting the glass down.

"They said that there's something going around. If she still has the fever tomorrow morning they said they'd fit her in the schedule." Wordy nodded and they sat quietly for a few moments before Claire and Danielle came into the room.

"Mommy, we need to D-infect everything. It's almost rainbow day in school and I don't want to get sick." She said with urgency. Before Shelly could respond.

"I'll tell you what girls?" Wordy started in an excited voice. "I'll _disinfect_ things later on but we're going to give Mommy a little time to rest." Wordy smiled as he stood and took both of their hands, leading them into the family room. "How about you girls watch a movie?" Wordy asked as he got on his knees and started looking through the DVDs.

"But Daddy, we don't want to watch a movie..." Danielle whined a bit. Wordy looked at her with sarcastic disbelief. He crawled from his spot near the TV to the couch where the girls were sitting.

"You can pick..." He nearly sang as he held out three different Magic School Bus videos.

"Daddy," Danielle looked at him stubbornly. "These are all boring movies." Wordy looked at them with another shocked face.

"Lost in Space..." He said as looked from the title of the movie to the girl's faces. "You're right, that's too scary for you girls." Wordy said as he saw their reactions.

"It's not too scary," Claire said followed quickly by Danielle.

"No, no, I wouldn't want you girls to have nightmares..." Wordy said as he started to crawl back to the shelf with the movies.

"Daddy, I want to watch that one and I'll show you, I'm not going to be scared." Danielle said stubbornly. He held a finger to his mouth to try to signal for her to lower her voice.

"Well," Wordy shrugged his shoulders in mock reluctance. "if you girls think so..." He said as he popped the movie in and heard the theme music. He got up and walked slowly into the kitchen to find Shelly and all of the drawers open.

"I thought we had more child's flu medicine." She said, an edge of frustration again in her voice. Wordy could see that she was overwhelmed after her long day. Between caring for Ally and entertaining the other girls it was obvious that she needed a break. He pulled her into a hug and rocked her back and forth.

"Relax honey." He whispered softly in her ear. "I'll go get some more medicine from the pharmacy. I'll take Claire and Dani with me and we'll grab some dinner on the way home." He said as he led her back to the table and refilled her iced tea. "You stay here and relax." He said as he stood behind her and started to rub her shoulders. "I'll check on Ally and then when the girls' show is over, we'll go get the medicine." He said softly.

"Are you sure?" She asked in a calmer voice. "You jus got home and you guys had a ten hour shift-" He cut her off before she could continue.

"Anything for you and the girls." He said in a soft voice. Wordy rubbed Shelly's shoulders and back as they listened to the quiet sounds from the movie until he thought that he heard whimpers from the second floor of the house. He mounted the stairs quietly and cracked the door open as he saw Ally crying, wrapped in her blankets. "Hey, shhh..." He said softly as he picked Ally up from her bed and untangled the blankets. "Shhh..." He started to walk circles around the room as he rocked her in his arms. "It's okay, shhh..." He continued his soothing until he felt her relax in his arms. After a few more circles around the room he stopped by her bed and gently placed her down. He waited a moment to make sure she wouldn't wake before feeling her forehead. _Definitely still has a fever._ He thought as he reached for the lightest sheet and placed it on her gently. He stood for a few minutes and watched her sleep before quietly leaving the room and going downstairs. He heard the credit music rolling for the movie and went directly into the family room.

"See Daddy? I wasn't scared a little bit." Danielle said with a triumphant smile.

"Good job sweetheart." He said proudly. "Why don't you girls go get your coats? We're going to go get Ally some medicine and tehn we'll pick up pizza for dinner." He put the video in the box and turned off the TV.

"Pizza!" Danielle yelled excitedly as she ran into the hall.

"Shhh. Ally's trying to sleep." He whispered as he tiptoed to the coat closet. He got out Claire and Danielle's coats and helped them zip them up as he threw on a light sweatshirt. He walked quickly into the kitchen to find Shelly doing some dishes. " I just checked on Ally, she's asleep but her fever's still pretty high. I'm taking the girls, we'll call you when we're waiting for the pizza." He said as Shelly approached him and stood on her toes to kiss him.

"I love you so much." She said with a small smile.

"I love you too." He said as he looking into her bright eyes. "Why don't you take a nap? Or even just lay in front of the TV? I'll be back before you know it." He said over his shoulder as he grabbed his keys and opened the front door.

"Claire..." Wordy said as she went for the passenger door.

"I'm oldest Daddy, I'll be your negotiator." She said as she pulled a map out of the glovebox. He smiled at his six year old.

"You mean _navigator_, princess." He picked her up and brought her to the backseat. "And I think I know how to find the pharmacy." He put her down in her car seat as he buckled her jogged around to the other side of the van and tightly secured Danielle in place. He double checked both of their seats before opening the driver's side door. He sat down and turned around to look at them.

"Okay, so we have our coats?" He asked. Claire and Danielle knew the drill and yelled out.

"Check!"

"And we have the car keys?" He jingled them in their view.

"Check!"

"We have Daddy's wallet?" He fished his wallet from his back pocket and showed it to them.

"Check!" They giggled.

"We're all buckled in?" He said as he faced forward and put his seatbelt on.

"Check!"

"Okay." Wordy mused to himself while he readjusted his mirrors.

"We have Claire and Dani?" He asked with a sarcastic smile.

"Check!" Claire said quickly.

"I'm here Daddy, check!" Danielle said.

"Alright, then we are ready and rolling." Wordy responded as he pulled out of the driveway and headed down the street.

_I know this is a very introish chapter but I really liked writing it. I love Wordy's relationship with his kids and his wife, it all seems so pure and innocent and perfect for him. Tell me what you think. I have some more hand written but I don't know when that'll be posted. Feedback? _


	2. Chapter 2

Like Coming Home-Chapter 2

_So I hope you're reviewing, I want some feedback here. Things are going to pick up here. I'm not sure of an ending, I didn't feel like outlining this one, so give me suggestions. PS: I don't own Flashpoint, or Hershey Chocolates...funny things give me ideas, look for a one-shot with that idea at some point in the future. _

"Cough, cold, congestion..." Wordy said under his breath as he put down the box of medicine he held and picked up another box. Out of the corner of his eyes he was watching Claire and Danielle down the aisle looking at crayons, crouched in front of a box of neon colors. "Flu, cold, nausea..." He read the rest of the symptoms before turning the box over in his hands and checking the age and weight restrictions. "Does Ally like orange?" He asked Claire and Danielle as he approached them and put the box of crayons back on the shelf. Claire stuck her tongue out.

"Eww, orange is gross. Grape is the good kind Daddy." Danielle nodded in agreement as Wordy swapped the boxes and got the one with the purple coloring.

"Okay, grape it is." He said as he took Danielle's hand and motioned for Claire to follow towards the register. "Do we need anything else?" He asked, more to himself than to anyone else.

"Candy!" Danielle said as she tried to break free of her father's hand. He rolled his eyes a bit as he was pulled towards the candy bars near the counter.

"Okay, only one candy bar for each of you." He said as he saw their smiling faces, they really knew his weaknesses well. "And you can't eat it until after dinner." They were already full on in their hunt for candy. Wordy helped Danielle reach a package of Resses Peanut Butter Cups. Wordy stood behind his girls and waited patiently for Claire to make her choice. He glanced around the near empty store. _Must be the afternoon lull. _He thought dimly as he glanced at his watch. It was nearly 5:15 and the only people in the small store besides his family and the cashier was a man reading a newspaper and an elderly man looking at different medications. He was spurred from his thoughts by Claire as she turned to look at him.

"Daddy, shouldn't we get one for Ally?" Claire asked with big eyes. Wordy smiled at the sentiment.

"Yeah, we'll get her one for when she feels better." Wordy said as he grabbed chocolate bars for Shelly and Ally. Claire grabbed a Kit-Kat bar and gave it to Wordy who started putting things on the conveyer belt. _Dessert it covered._ He thought as he smiled at the cashier, a teenage girl no older than seventeen.

"Did you find everything okay?" She asked with a smile. He nodded.

"Yep." He smiled as he saw her ringing up the few items. "Now girls," He looked to his daughters. "I have a very special job for you tomorrow." He said as he knelt down as he saw their attention perk. "I want you to be extra good for Mommy while she takes care of Ally and maybe, if you're really good, when Ally feels better we'll all do something really fun together." He said as he thought about his work schedule for the next few nodded as he heard the cashier getting the few contents into a bag.

"That'll be $11. 81." She said to him as he stood up. He nodded and flipped his wallet open. He put it on the conveyor belt as he put his hand back in his pocket looking for change. The hairs on the back of his neck seemed to rise as he heard a curse and the dropping of a newspaper.

Things seemed to move at hyper speed as the man standing near the register dropped his paper and pulled a handgun out of his belt. The man flipped the safety off and pointed the gun at Wordy. It took him an instant to react as he instinctively took a step away from the register and calmed his face. He put his hands at his sides and corralled Claire and Danielle, who seemed to sense the tension, behind him. He glanced at the cashier and saw his wallet sitting on the conveyor belt, his badge fully visible. _Crap, I triggered it._ He thought as he looked up at the man with a small smile. He looked middle aged, maybe in his early forties, and his hand shook a bit as he held the gun.

"I'm sorry. I was going to wait until you left..." The man seemed to quiver as he heard Danielle whimper softly. Wordy nodded.

"Okay, alright, let's just slow things down a little bit. My name's Kevin-" Wordy said calmly. The man seemed to regain some composure as he steadied his grip and yelled.

"Shut up!" He pointed the gun at the elderly man, who had frozen when he saw what was going on. "You, over there!" He yelled as he pointed the gun to the corner of the store far from the doors and the windows. The elderly man nodded and started to slowly walk over to the corner. "On the ground, hands on your head." He demanded. Once the man was sitting on the floor he turned the gun on the cashier. She jumped as he started to speak. "You, lock the doors, empty the register and get over there." He said as he kept the gun on her. She did as she was told and locked the doors with shaky hands.

Wordy watched and thought about tactical options he would use if he were outside the store. He knew that there wouldn't be visibility from the doors or windows in the spot where the subject was putting the hostages, a problem for him and whoever would be responding but there was nothing for him to do. He vaguely wondered if there was a back door or some kind of service entrance when the girl returned to the register and started to put the money in the bags. He looked at the two other hostages. The girls, it said Kelly on her name tag, looked scared but she was cooperating. The elderly man walked very slowly and had trouble getting down on the ground, he wouldn't pose a threat._ At least I don't need to worry about any heros. _He thought as the girl walked over to the corner of the store.

The gun returned to Wordy as the man looked at him coldly. Any regret seemed to leave his eyes as he raised the gun towards Wordy's head. They were about eight feet apart as the man began to speak to him. "Over there, nothing funny." He said in a low tone.

"Nothing funny." Wordy mirrored as he nodded and walked slowly towards the spot indicated, keeping Claire and Danielle behind him. They were both crying a bit but were overall being quiet. They had tight grips on Wordy's arms.

"Hand on your head." He demanded. Wordy nodded and started to put his hands up when he felt resistance from Claire and Danielle. He looked down as much as he could without taking his eyes off the gun.

"It's okay Dani. Hold Claire's hand, okay?" He said softly before turning his head to the other shoulder. "Claire, it's okay, princess." He said in a soft voice. He head them sniffling their noses and he hated that he couldn't wipe the tears from their eyes. They slowly released their grip on his arms and Wordy heard Danielle start to cry more. "Hold each other's hands, it's okay." Wordy assured as he rose his hands and put them on his head. The man looked at him, seemingly trying to figure out what to do.

"Where's you gun?" He asked after a few minutes of silence.

"I'm off duty. I don't have a gun at home, kids, you know?" He asked with a bit of a smile. The man looked at him skeptically for a moment before nodding. Wordy thought for a minute before speaking.

"You want to tell me what's going on here? Maybe I can help..." The man looked at him skeptically again. His features were hard and angry now but Wordy was still thinking about the first thing he'd said when he pulled the gun. "I know this isn't how you wanted things to happen, you said that you were going to wait for me to leave...I appreciate that you didn't want my kids involved in this." Wordy said calmly. The man took a breath and nodded. "What's your name?" Wordy asked. The man hesitated for a long time before speaking.

"Alan." Wordy nodded. He was about to say something when he heard his phone ring in his pocket. Alan seemed to tense as he heard the ring and he steeled his eyes.

"Alan, my youngest daughter, Ally is sick. I came to get her medicine, that's probably my wife." Wordy said quickly. He knew that this opportunity wouldn't come again and it was his chance to make sure his team responded if he could somehow hint to Shelly that he needed them. Alan looked at him as the phone rang again. Wordy's heart was pounding as Alan nodded.

"Answer it. Nothing funny." He reminded as Wordy moved slowly to answer the phone. He only briefly saw the caller ID before answering and his heart jumped as he accepted the call.

"Hey babycakes." Wordy said calmly. Alan was far enough from the phone that he couldn't hear the voice on the other end.

"Wordy...it's Greg, I needed to double check the transcripts against your notes today..." Greg said slowly.

"I know it's taking me a while at the pharmacy babycakes, I'm sorry." Wordy said in a conversational tone. Greg paused a moment as he listened to what Wordy was saying.

"Babycakes..." He repeated as it finally clicked. "Wordy are you in the presence of a bomb?" Greg asked urgently as he felt his adrenaline pump.

"No, no, I didn't get that brand of medicine. This one will work just as well though." Wordy responded as he hoped Greg was understanding. He could see Alan getting anxious.

"Can you tell me how many hostages?" Greg asked as he wrote all the information on the corner of the report.

"It said that it worked for children under 4." Wordy said hesitantly. Alan was motioning for him to finish up the call and Wordy nodded.

"I've got to go now Babycakes," Wordy said slowly. "Claire and Danielle say they love you." Greg jumped a bit when he realized that Wordy wasn't alone but he kept himself calm.

"Okay Wordy, I'm calling everyone in. Hang tight, we'll get you guys out safe." Greg said calmly as he stood and began walking to Winnie at the desk.

"Okay, love you honey." Wordy said into the phone as he hung up and held it in his hands.

"Give it to me." Alan said as he held the gun steady. Wordy nodded and put the phone on the floor, sliding it towards Alan. When the phone stopped sliding in front of him, Wordy saw Alan's foot slam down and crush it. Wordy took a breath to calm himself as he wondered how long it would take for the team to get to him.

_Okay, tell me what you think. I know my Americanisms are showing in this chapter (the dollars and such) but I would have messed it up if I tried to do Canadian money and it would have been like, 100 dollars or something. Also, I'm not sure if police carry their badges in their wallets like US cops do sometimes, so for my purposes, Wordy does. Please give me feedback, the more I get, the more motivated I am to keep writing it. Also, give me some ideas, I want this one to be my best story yet! _


	3. Chapter 3

Like Coming Home-Chapter 3

_Alright, I've been having a great weekend so far and I really want to get this story going...only issue is that I'm a little stuck. I thought everything through really intensely up until that phone call and now I'm not sure where I want to go. You're probably saying that an outline is a good idea but I'm not really feeling outliney for this one. I didn't want to switch perspectives on this one like I do in my other stories but I think for the sake of continuity and plot development I'll go for it again. I know I'm rambling, I'm just going to write and you're just going to tell me what you think, deal? Still waiting for the rights to Flashpoint but let's assume that I still don't own it. _

"Spike, get to HQ, ASAP. Wordy's in a hostage situation with his girls." A click of the phone and he moved on to the next number.

"Jules, station now. Wordy's in a hostage situation with the girls." A mumble and another click.

"Sam, HQ now. Wordy's a hostage with his kids." Another click of the phone.

"Eddie, we need you here. Wordy called in a hostage situation. He's inside with Claire and Danielle." Greg said urgently as he heard the phone ruffle on the other side.

"I'll be there in five minutes." Ed said mechanically, trying to hide the evident worry.

"Ed, I think we should get Shelly on scene but I think Ally's home sick..." Greg didn't even need to finish the sentence before he heard Ed speaking to someone.

"Clark, get your coat and some homework. I'm dropping you off at Wordy's, you're babysitting Ally." Ed said in a tone that there was no arguing with. "I'll be there in eight boss, you want me to bring Shelly?"

"She's my next call. I'll tell her that you're picking her up." Greg finished as he heard the front door close on the other end of the line. He took a breath to steady himself before dialing Wordy's home number.

"Hello?" A tired voice picked up the phone as Greg calmed his voice.

"Shelly, it's Greg." He began.

"Hi Greg, Kevin's not hear right now, he went to-"

"To get medicine from the pharmacy..." Greg finished her sentence as he heard her pause in confusion.

"Greg, what's going on?" Worry was seeping into her voice.

"Shelly, I need you to try and stay calm for me." Greg said with authority. "I just hung up with him and everyone's fine but he's involved in a hostage situation right now." He heard Shelly gasp over the phone and he tried to get her attention back. "Shelly, take a deep breath for me," He heard her trying to comply and relax but she knew the severity of the situation. "good." He waited a moment more before continuing. "Does he go to that little pharmacy on Main Street?" Greg asked as he saw Spike running through the doors of the SRU. He put his hand up in a motion for him to wait.

"Y...yeah..." Shelly said shakily.

"Okay. Shelly, Ed's coming by your place. He should be there any minute. Clark is coming with him to watch Ally. If you can go with Ed that would be great. When Claire and Danielle come out they're going to want to see you." Greg intentionally kept his words positive and assuring.

"Yes, of...of course." She said nervously.

"Okay, I'll see you in a bit." Greg said as he hung up the phone and turned to the eagerly waiting Spike.

"So?" He nearly bursted with the question.

"Suit up, grab Ed's stuff." Spike looked a bit frustrated that there was no more information but he turned and followed his orders. Greg turned to Winnie, "Who's here?" He felt the need to ask even though he knew the answer to his question.

"Team Four is on a call, Team Two is serving a warrant, I can call in Team Three but it'll be at least-"

"Forty minutes." Greg said bitterly as he weighed his options. "Call them in but for now, we're the primary." Winnie nodded as the doors flew open again and Sam and Jules came in. "Suit up, we'll talk in the trucks." Greg said simply as they nodded and went to the locker rooms. Greg made a move to follow them until he heard the doors open again. Ed walked in strongly followed by Shelly. She looked shaken but was trying to maintain her composure. Spike ran into the hallway and gave Ed his gear as they stood in a small circle.

"Shelly, we're going to get them out." Greg said strongly. She seemed to calm a bit when she saw Greg's face. "I want you on the scene that way Claire and Danielle won't be afraid." She nodded. Ed had slipped into his vest and was speaking to Winnie when Sam and Jules joined them.

"Let's move." Ed said simply as he led the way to the garage. As they came to the trucks in the parking garage he started speaking. "Spike, take the Mobile Command truck. Shelly, ride with Spike." Spike nodded and started to lead Shelly over to the huge, armored truck. "Jules, you're Sierra One."

"Copy." She said as she grabbed her sniper rifle and got into the drivers side of an SUV.

"Sam, you and I are Alpha Team. I'll look less lethal, I want you to get eyes." Ed said as they started loading up the trucks.

"Copy." Sam said as he finished up getting the rest of the gear and jumping into the truck with Jules. Ed went to sit in the drivers side when Greg stopped him.

"I'm driving Ed." He said with authority. After a moment of a hard stare Ed relented and nodded, breaking eyes contact. Greg got into the drivers seat and, after Ed got into the passenger side, started leading the trucks towards the pharmacy. It wasn't very far from Headquarters but Greg didn't want to waste the time. As he wove carefully in and out of the rush hour traffic, he motioned for Ed to turn off his radio as he did the same. "You gonna be alright in there, Eddie?" He asked in a sympathetic but critical tone. Ed's expression was still hard as he looked through the windshield.

"I'll be alright." He said fairly mechanically again. Greg nodded, though he wasn't completely convinced.

"You and Wordy were beat cops together, you're team mates, you're best friends, you're Claire's godfather...you sure you're going to be able to stay professional?" Greg asked in what he hoped wasn't a judgmental tone. They were minutes away from the scene and he didn't want to stay off the radio much longer.

"We're getting them out, Greg. We're getting them out and I'm going to be on the team that makes that happen." Ed said strongly. Greg nodded, noting the use of his first name and the unwavering determination in his voice.

"Okay, Eddie." He said as he clicked his radio back on, Ed following suit. They pulled up to the pharmacy quietly, keeping the sirens off as they inched past the police cars that had blocked off the street. "Let's keep the peace everyone." Greg said into the radio as they came to a stop.

_I've had this sitting open, halfway written for about a week and it was really bugging me that it wasn't finished. This is shorter than I wanted it to be, I was going to switch perspectives and go back to Wordy but I honestly do not have the time. Things are crazy here, I've only got about a month and a half left in the semester so everything is going nuts. I have this huge presentation in about two weeks so that's going to be monopolizing my time for a bit. Hence, I opted for keeping this short and posting something. I'm usually very quick with updates but don't expect something until after the 27th really. I know it's a long time, sorry. Tell me what you think in the meantime and maybe I'll be able to pound something out in the motivation of answering those reviews..._


	4. Chapter 4

Like Coming Home-Chapter 4

_I know this one is taking forever for me to update but the end of my mountains of work is in sight and by the end of the month I should be a fair bit more free. I wrote most of this chapter in between appointments with professors and half of it on a bus in the dark...be glad you don't have to read the hand written copy! So I just checked my e-mail and big surprise: I still don't own Flashpoint...I'd like reviews and feedback though, it makes my day, really my week, when I hear what people think about what I'm doing. Tinkerpanda and .Naxen, you guys are my awesomely, amazingly, consistent supporters and I love you guys for it. Let me hear what the other 159 of you, who also apparently have been reading my story, think. _

Wordy took a deep breath and tried to calm his subtly shaking hands as he allowed the room to return to silence. The adrenaline high that Alan was riding would soon begin to ware off and severity of the situation he was in would hit him. Wordy stood still, his hands raised in the air as he took another calming breath. His muscles twitched ever so slightly and his fingers seemed to jerk a bit. He chastised himself, _come on Wordy, calm down already._ His internal voice yelled at him but was quickly replaced by a more rational one. _This is different. The girls are with you and you weren't ready for this._ He internally nodded to himself. _It's different but it's nothing you can't handle._ He reassured himself as it seemed Alan did the same, subtly nodding to himself and breaking him out of his thoughts.

"Get down on your knees, put your hands on your head." He said as Wordy nodded and slowly got down on one knee and then the other. Alan took slow, calculated steps as he walked a few feet closer to him. The arm not pointing the gun at Wordy reached out to the nearby shelf and grabbed a package of medical ace bandages. Without looking at what he grabbed, he threw the package at Kelly. "Tie up his hands." He said as she quivered. She stayed sitting in her spot looking from Wordy to the gun in Alan's hands until the gun turned on her. She looked towards Wordy pleadingly as tears came to her eyes.

"It's okay, Kelly. Do what Alan says." Wordy reassured as she stumbled over to him from her spot on the ground. She shakily ripped open the cardboard packaging and stood above him as he lowered his arms behind his back. She started to wrap the soft fabric around his wrists in a figure eight motion, keeping the bindings fairly loose.

"Tighter." Alan growled as he watched her work from a few feet away. She let out a small whimper before wrapping the bandage a bit tighter. When she finished with roll she tied a knot and returned, with her head down, to her spot on the floor. Wordy felt the elastic fabric imprinting on his wrists as he tried to subtly stretch it. He was able to get a bit of wiggle room from the bandage but it was layered too much for him to break free. He opened and closed his hands and rolled his wrists in an attempt to stretch the fabric further but the elasticity remained.

Alan had stepped back a bit and faced his hostages, his back to the windows in the front of the store. He lowered the gun and wiped his brow with the sleeve of his light jacket. After a few minutes of sweating he removed the jacket and put it on the floor near the shelves of medicine. Wordy took stock of him and was slightly surprised by the inherent normalcy that Alan portrayed. Alan wore a light blue polo shirt and a pair of casual khaki pants on top of black sneakers; not unlike something Wordy would wear on one of his (few) days off.

Alan's face was sunken and tired looking but he was cleanly shaved; all of these attributes added to Wordy's overall confusion. _You don't rob a pharmacy for money but he definitely doesn't look like an addict. _Wordy looked at Alan again and saw he was deep in thought. _He cares but he's trying to intentionally be cold. He seems rational now but he's emotional about something...he was most sympathetic to kids._ Wordy felt a sharp pang of guilt and anxiety as he thought about his girls sitting behind him scared. He almost felt a tear come to his eye as he thought about how petrified they must be but he quickly tried to shake the thought from his mind. _Maybe he has kids or works with them..._Wordy was spurred from his thought as he saw a flashing light reflect in the window of the store. Alan's back was still turned and Wordy knew that he needed to keep it that way as long as possible.

"How you doing, Alan?" Wordy asked calmly. He wanted to try and make some headway before the police presence became impossible to hide. Alan looked at Wordy with his best tough face but the initial adrenaline rush was wearing off and anxiousness was evident in his eyes.

"Why do you care?" He asked bitterly but with something behind it. Hidden in the cold tone was a genuine question, he wanted to know why Wordy was behaving the way he was.

"Well, Alan, I can tell you're a good guy." Wordy said confidently. "You're a good guy having a bad day and I'd like to try and help you." A small smile came to Wordy's face as a smirk came to Alan's.

"Bad day..." He repeated quietly, mostly to himself. "bad year is more like it." He shook his head sadly. "And now I'm adding armed robbery, illegal detainment, add on top of that the fact that I've got a cop and two kids hostage...there's no happy ending for me."

"There can be a happy ending, Alan. There can be." Wordy said firmly. "I'm sorry that you're having a bad run of things, that must be really stressful for you but things do not need to end badly." Alan still didn't look completely convinced but he didn't immediately contradict the reassurances and Wordy took this as a sign to continue. "You haven't hurt anyone, Alan. You've shown compassion and I know that this is not the way you wanted things to happen. Talk to me...tell me what you really came here for..." Wordy finished, pushing a bit in the hopes of getting an idea of Alan's mindset.

Alan seemed to calm a bit at Wordy's obvious genuineness and his sentiment. He still held the gun but he did so loosely and pointed it towards the ground. He seemed to be deep in thought again and Wordy waited patiently. He thought that he saw a flash of something in the corner of his vision but tried to keep his face clear and calm despite his mounting worry. _This isn't right._ He thought as he tried to subtly look to a spot at the end of the aisle. _They couldn't have entered already, they just got here and they haven't tried negotiating._ Another bit of movement came into his vision and he felt his heart begin to pound again. _Shit._ He thought as he made his conclusions. A man in a red employee vest poked his head out from behind the end of the aisle and raised a metal pipe above his head as he walked quickly towards Alan's turned back.

"Don't move!" Wordy shouted an instant too late as the man ran and swung the pipe wildly making contact with Alan's left shoulder. It took only another second for Alan to turn and fire the gun in the direction of this new hostage-turned-hero-turned-victim.

_I know this one is short, I had a bit more written for it but I think it would be a good start for the next chapter. Speaking of the next chapter, I'm not sure when that's going to come up, it all depends on my procrastination levels tomorrow. Reviews tend to motivate me to write more, faster, though...hint hint. Sorry about the cliffhanger...at least I'm not shooting Wordy in this one...that you know of...::Evil smile::_


	5. Chapter 5

Like Coming Home-Chapter 5

_So I've found out that we have a middle daughter's name for Wordy's kids and apparently it's Lilly...whoops. I've also been spelling Allie wrong, I don't know why I keep writing Ally. But I'm going to keep things consistent for this story and in the next story I write I'll make sure to get them right and keep them right. So just a reminder, the oldest (for my purposes) is Claire, the middle is Danielle (nicknamed Dani), and the youngest is Ally. Alrighty, I left you guys with a kind of mean cliffhanger so let's get going here. I still don't own Flashpoint and I'm still looking for your reviews, yes, I'm talking to you._

Years of police work had given Wordy sharp instincts and near instantaneous responses but when a gun is fired unexpectedly he always felt fear course through his body for a millisecond. He was trained to remain calm, to react, but for less than an instant he wondered if he was dead, he wondered if he'd told his family how much he loved them that morning.

He took a breath and realized that he was on his feet, still a fair distance away from Alan, but standing nonetheless. It sounded felt cliche sometimes but the blood was always the first thing anyone noticed. The floor and shelf was stained red as a small puddle of blood began to form beside the fallen employee. He blinked and turned his attention to Alan before even realizing that Kelly was screaming and his girls were crying loudly. Ever fiber of his being wanted to turn around and block their view but he knew that other things needed to happen first.

"Alan," Wordy said loudly as Kelly stopped screaming. He turned to Wordy, regret obvious in his eyes, panic evident in his features. He looked like he was trying to speak but no sounds came from him mouth. "Alan, I know that you didn't mean to do that, you were surprised and you didn't mean to do that." Wordy assured him as he realized that the phone in the front of the store was ringing. "You should answer the phone, Alan. They just want to talk. They just want to see what they can do to make sure this ends well." Wordy assured. Alan stared at Wordy for a few seconds in shock. "Alan, you need to pick up the phone." Wordy said firmly. This time he seemed to hear him and he mechanically walked toward the telephone.

Wordy took the moment as an opportunity to take stock of things. The man on the floor was shot in the left side of his abdomen. He still seemed to be conscious but he was obviously in pain. Wordy walked over to him before realizing that his hands were still tied behind him. Alan was watching them but he made no move to stop Wordy.

"Kelly, can you come here please." Wordy asked as he stood and backed away from the man, who's name tag said Tom. "I need you both of you to stay calm now." He said as he addressed the two employees. He lowered his voice a bit. "Is there anyone else in the store?" Kelly shook her head no and Wordy relaxed a bit. "Is there a back door?" He asked even quieter. Kelly nodded her head yes slightly and Wordy nodded. "Okay, Kelly I need you to take those gauze there," He motioned with his head towards the shelf. "and apply firm, direct pressure to the wound. Can you do that?" Wordy asked firmly. She nodded her head and opened the package as Wordy returned to his spot. He tried to overhear the conversation on the phone but he couldn't hear Greg's end.

"Just...just don't come in. I...I need some time to think." Alan said as he put the phone back on the cradle. He returned to his hostages and looked from Kelly to Wordy.

"Alan, I asked Kelly if she'd help Tom, is that okay?" He asked as Alan gave him a nod. "He's going to be okay but he's going to need a hospital soon, Alan."

"Just shut up! I need to think!" Alan yelled as he pointed the gun towards Wordy. Claire and Danielle yelled and cried as they saw the gun come the way of their father and Wordy had to close his eyes to keep a tear from escaping.

"I hear you, Alan, you need to think." Wordy was working hard to keep his tone calm. "Is it okay if I talk to my girls and calm them down a bit?" He asked, nearly begged. Alan paused a moment before nodding. Against all of his training Wordy turned his back on the subject and walked the few feet towards his girls. They were hugging each other and seemed to be shaking with fear. He suppressed a shiver himself as he approached them with a small smile and knelt down in front of them, blocking their view of the bloody scene.

"Hey, hey," Wordy said softly as they lunged towards him and hugged him tightly. "Shhh, it's okay girls, shhh." He soothed them and waited for them to calm down a bit before continuing. "You girls are doing so great. I'm so proud of you." He said as a tear came to his eyes. He felt them still shaking against his body. He heard Alan begin to pace from somewhere over his shoulder and he knew that he needed to focus again. He turned to the elderly man. He had been sitting quietly and it didn't look like he'd be able to move from his spot on the ground. His legs seemed to be locked out in front of him and an image flashed through Wordy's mind as he remembered an uncle who'd had both knees replaced. "Sir," He called over softly. "what's your name?"

"Marshal Bryant." He said softly as he licked his lips. Wordy nodded and looked back to his girls.

"Claire, Dani, I want you to go sit next to Mr. Bryant. Stay up against the wall over there. Hold each other's hands and..." Wordy took a breath to calm himself as he felt them squeeze their tiny arms around his neck. "please girls, I'm so proud of you, please just sit right there." He tried to move away but they wouldn't let him. He took a breath before trying again. "Girls, I want you to go hold Mr. Bryant's hand. He's all alone over there and I don't want him to be scared. Can you girls help me do that? Can you make sure that Mr. Bryant doesn't get scared?" It took all he had to make sure that he didn't start crying when Claire first released her grip on him and she took one of Danielle's arms.

"Come on Dani," She said with teary eyes. "Daddy needs our help. Come on." Claire said as she pulled Danielle away. Wordy quickly turned his head to hide his tears and took a deep breath before standing again and facing Alan. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Claire and Danielle sit against the wall and he saw Claire put her small hand on top of Mr. Bryant's. He took a deep breath and was a bit more relieved that they were out of the middle of the aisle. Wordy knew that if the team needed to make an aggressive entry they needed the aisles cleared. He heard Tom groan a bit as Kelly put most of her weight on the layers of gauze on the wound.

"Prolopa." Alan said softly. "That's what I came here for, that's what I want." Alan looked at Wordy with anxious eyes.

_Not as bad a cliffhanger as last chapter. Now is the tough part, do you wait for the next chapter to find out with Wordy what Prolopa is or do you google it yourself...that's a tough one. Thanks to those of you who have reviewed, those really make my week and I'm going to be having a really crazy week so I'll need the little sanity that comes with getting some feedback. More to come soon, if not today then maybe (maybe) tomorrow. If not tomorrow than maybe by Thursday. This is my last week of craziness so more regular updates will be coming soon. _


	6. Chapter 6

Like Coming Home-Chapter 6

_I know, I know, this has taken forever to get done and get moving and get updated, don't Scorpio me please! I had a huge presentation this weekend and I've been working on it like crazy (with a little help from Tinkerpanda) and plus this conference I was presenting at was held at my college; we hosted nine other school's honors programs and it was crazy to make sure everything worked. So, now that that's done I should have a lot more free time. Sorry for keeping you guys hanging so long with the Prolopa, incase anyone is wondering, I'm using the Canadian name so if you googled this and keep getting the name of something else then it's probably the same thing...I know that's cryptic, you'll find out more this chapter though and I'm going to try and make it epic for you guys. Thanks for baring with me and reading and reviewing! I still don't own Flashpoint though I seriously keep wishing. _

Wordy nodded slightly before even realizing he was doing so. He looked at Alan carefully and saw the desperation and resignation clearly outlined on his face.

"Prolopa..." Wordy repeated as Alan nodded. "Okay, do you think you can tell me what that is?" Wordy asked with a slight shrug of his shoulders. He assumed Alan was referring to some kind of drug, the reason for the robbery of the pharmacy becoming evident, but Wordy didn't recognize the name. He knew that it probably wasn't something that held any street value because he didn't recognize it as a narcotic or a pain killer and it didn't look like Alan was a chemist who was trying to make some other marketable street drug from it. Alan seemed to be biting his lip a bit as he thought of how to respond.

"I...you don't need to know that." He said bitterly as he stood with a bit more confidence, his hands shaking slightly as he held the gun. "Just get me the key to the pharmacy and then this will be over." Wordy nodded again in understanding and was about to respond when Tom groaned loudly from the ground and seemed to lose consciousness as his body grew limp. Kelly started shaking as she kept her weight on Tom, pushing the soaked through gauze against his body. Wordy had to resist yelling out. _Can anything else go wrong?_ He thought frustratedly for an instant as he refocused his attention again on Tom.

"Okay, Alan...Alan," Wordy tried to get his attention as his gaze seemed to rest on Tom, regret was evident in his face and he seemed to be panicking again. "Alan, look at me." Wordy said louder with a more commanding voice. He softened his face as Alan turned in his direction. "Tom needs a hospital Alan. He's losing a lot of blood and he needs a doctor-"

"Shut up! Just get me the key to the pharmacy and this will be over!" Alan yelled as he turned and pointed the gun towards Kelly. "Where is the key to the pharmacy?" He yelled at her as she quivered.

"The...the...pharmacist h...has it." She stuttered out as tears fell from her eyes. "S...she went to...to dinner at f...five o'clock." She nearly spat out. Alan's face went blank as he stared at her for a moment before lowering the gun. He turned to Wordy with a dejected look on his face, almost a questioning look. He cracked a bitter smile before kicking over a small display of greeting cards. Wordy took in a breath as he watched Alan in his frustration and kept an eye on Tom and saw his chest rise and fall. As the metal display clanged down on the floor Wordy heard the phone ringing and felt a bit of relief come over him as Alan walked over and pick up the receiver.

* * *

Greg was a bit surprised when the phone was picked up so quickly but he was glad nonetheless.

"Hello, Alan, this is Sargent Greg Parker again. I know you said that you wanted some time to think, I just wanted to let you know that if there's anything you want or need in there I can try and help." Greg paused and tried to get a read on what was happening inside. He covered the mouth piece on the phone and looked at Spike as he pointed to the corner of the video feed they'd pulled up from the store cameras. Greg couldn't tell exactly what Spike was pointing at until he saw Wordy carefully looking at the injured hostage's limp body. "How's the man who's hurt Alan? Is he still doing okay?" Greg asked, hoping to get a response this time.

"He...he's getting a little worse." Alan sounded resigned as Greg saw his head drop a bit on the grainy video feed.

"Thank you for telling me that Alan, I appreciate your honesty." Greg nodded within the van before continuing. "If you want, I can send in some medics and we can get Thomas to the hospital..." Greg said as he read off the employee files Spike had retrieved from the computers. He was only twenty-three, the assistant manager of the store, he just wanted to be a hero. After a long silence Alan spoke again.

"I need the key to the pharmacy. You get that to me and you can take him to the hospital." Alan said plainly, trying to keep his voice calm despite the obvious anxiety behind it.

"I'll get to work on that Alan. Can I ask why you need the key to the pharmacy?" Greg heard a sharp intake of breath and saw him grow tense over the video feed before quickly adding, "I just ask because some pharmacies have a code or some other system in place for narcotics or pain killers. I just want to make sure that we're getting you what you need." Greg added as he saw Alan relax a bit. He tried to listen carefully, not knowing what to make of the scene. Alan did not look like a drug dealer or addict and he was a bit surprised by the request.

"I need Prolopa. It's not a narcotic, there shouldn't be anything special, I just need the damn keys." Alan was obviously getting frustrated and Greg nodded again.

"Alright Alan, I'll work on that for you-"

"Work fast." Alan cut him off and hung up the phone. Greg took a breath to steady himself before speaking into his earpiece.

"We've got our first demand. He wants the pharmacy key in order to get a drug called Prolopa, Spike..."

"On it Boss." Spike replied as he started typing, his fingers a blur as they pounded on the keys.

"Jules, where are you?" Greg asked as he stepped out of the van and looked towards the rooftops.

"Rooftop across the street, three doors down from your position. I don't have the subject in my sights but I've got a small window. If he moves against the East wall and even with Wordy I'll have the solution." Jules replied as she readjusted her sights and felt the cool evening air draft across her position.

"Copy, stay ready Sierra One. If we're going to go aggressive entry we might need you to reposition but hold right now." Greg replied as he approached Ed who was standing near a barricade talking to a professionally dressed woman.

"Boss, this is Maria Juan, she's the pharmacist here." Ed stepped to the side a bit as Greg extended his hand and she shook it.

"Sargent Greg Parker." He introduced himself as she nodded.

"What can I do to help?" She asked nervously.

"Well the man inside is named Alan and he's looking for Prolopa, ring any bells?" Greg asked as Ed looked on nervously. After a moment of thought she shook her head.

"Prolopa...you mean the Benserazide?" She asked. Her question was met with raised eyebrows and confused looks from both Ed and Greg.

"Sorry, we're not really well versed in this stuff." Greg said prompting for more information.

"Well if I'm right then he's looking for a type of experimental Parkinson's medication." She was met again by silence and continued. "Basically his body wouldn't be taking up dopamine, most drugs don't breach the blood-brain barrier so they don't work. Prolopa seems to be working really well but the doses need to be very high in order for it to break that barrier." She explained. Greg nodded, understanding slightly better.

"You said experimental?" He asked with urgency.

"Yes, it's worked well in the US but the HPFB is still working on the final approval." Greg nodded and spoke into the earpiece.

"Spike-"

"On it Boss. I'm looking into lists of patients who were in Parkinson's clinical trials in a thirty mile radius." Greg returned his attention to the pharmacist.

"There's a key to the pharmacy...?" He asked as he saw her begin to fish through her bag.

"Yes, here it is." She said as she placed the small keyring into his hand. "It opens the back room with all the medications except the narcotics, those are kept in a separate safe." Greg nodded.

"That's fine. Thank you for your help. Stay behind the barrier here but stick around in case we need you again." He said before turning and walking towards the van with Ed. The moment they took a step away from the barriers Ed began speaking.

"I want to be the one going in there, Boss." He said firmly.

"Eddie-"

"Boss, I'm team leader and I'm most qualified to do this. You're not just going to send in medics, someone needs to go with them and it should be me."

"Ed-"

"Sarge I really feel like you need everyone else out here right now and that if I go in you've still got a solid team out here-" Now it was Greg's turn to cut him off.

"Ed, stop." He commanded as he stopped walking and held his arm out to stop Ed from going on. "Listen, I agree that you're the person I'd want in there right now but we need to think this through all the way." Greg said firmly. "You're right, the medics aren't going in alone but less lethal isn't an option anymore with an injury and with medical conditions and the girls in there." Ed looked like he was going to say something but Greg held out his hand to stop him again. "Ed, I'm also not sure your thinking impartially-"

"Boss-"

"Shut up Eddie." Greg said half joking, mostly serious. Ed closed his mouth and Greg continued. "I'm not sure your thinking impartially but we're all emotional right now and I know that if someone's got to go in there then I want it to be you." Greg finished as Ed seemed to relax a bit and nod.

"Sarge, I've got the back door open." Sam whispered from the back of the store where he was working on picking the lock quietly. "It looks like it leads to a storage room, I don't have a visual on the hostages or the subject. Do you want me to move in?" He asked as Ed and Greg moved into the truck and looked at the blueprints.

"Hold your position, Sam." Ed said as he pointed down an aisle. "When the medics and I move in I want you to move to aisle two. Our subject is in aisle one right now so you've got to move fast and quiet Sam but the medics and I should be a good distraction." Ed finished as he got a nod of approval from Greg.

"We have to assume that our subject is going to go for the pharmacy once he gets the key; that shouldn't compromise your position, Sam but be ready to move if something changes." Greg added as Spike sat up with a smile.

"Good work Honeydew..." He said to his computer as he got questioning looks form Ed and Greg.

"What, you guys are alright with me naming Babycakes the bomb robot but not my ever vigilant computers?" Spike asked with a smile as he scrolled through some information.

"We'll talk about that later Spike." Greg said as he tried to read the small text over his shoulder.

"I've got the list of participants in a clinical Prolopa trial from St. Michael's and I'm cross referencing for any male ages twenty to fifty named Alan." Spike said proudly.

"Spike, isn't that information confidential, how'd you get it?" Jules asked over the radio, skepticism in her voice. Spike bit his lip a bit.

"It's probably better that you don't know." Spike said as he looked straight at his computer and avoided Greg's gaze.

"Spike-" He started to lecture before Spike cut him off.

"Alan Matthews age forty-one. Diagnosed with early onset Parkinson's Disease a year ago..." Spike read more information as his face fell a bit. "looks like he couldn't pay for the medication so they pulled him from the trial..." Spike continued to skim the documents before typing a bit more and pulling up another file. "Married to Rose Matthews, I'll get a number and address for her." Spike said as began typing again.

"Okay Spike, get her down here as soon as you can. Ed, can you get the medics ready and brief them on the situation?" Ed nodded and left the van as Greg picked up the phone.

"Alan, I just wanted to tell you that I have the key to the pharmacy and I'm going to be sending in two medics to get Thomas along with one of my men to give you the key. They'll all leave as soon as the medics say that Thomas is okay to move. Is that okay?" Greg asked.

"Is your man armed?" He asked as if he already knew the answer.

"Yes, Constable Lane will be armed but he's only there to protect the medics and get you the key to the pharmacy. He's not going to try and do anything that you and I haven't discussed. He's going to walk in, give you the key and help the medics get Thomas to the hospital." Greg finished and he heard the hesitation in Alan's breath. "Alan, do you want to talk to me about the Prolopa? I know about the Parkinson's and I'm sorry, that must be really difficult to handle." Greg said softly.

"How do you..." Alan trailed off as Greg heard him grow a bit nervous over the phone. "Yeah, it's really tough sometimes..." He said softly, almost pained.

"I hear you, sometimes it feels like the world's caving in around you. It's tough and you're a really strong person for getting through it this long; let me help you. If you put down the gun and come out here, I can help you." Greg finished again and saw Alan considering his options on the video feed.

"Just...just get your guy in here and give me the key and get the other guy to the hospital." He said dejectedly.

"Okay Alan, we'll be in in about five minutes. If you want to talk just pick up the phone and it'll go directly to this line." Greg said as Alan hung up. "Okay team, we move in five. Less lethal is not an option so Sam, be prepared in case things take a bad turn when Ed goes in."

"Copy." Sam said as he checked his gun and loaded a bullet into the chamber.

_Alright, I figured that you deserved something a little longer considering how long you waited. I'm really hoping that he page break works. Tell me what you think, more will probably be up this week but I'm not positive when, maybe by Tuesday but don't hold me to that._


	7. Chapter 7

Like Coming Home-Chapter 7

_Finally I have time to write again! I'm hoping to get back into a rhythm to write more often and thus maybe be able to focus in class instead of outlining the next chapter...we'll see how that works out. Something I should have mentioned last chapter (and you Canadian folks can correct me if I'm wrong) but the HPFB that I referred to is supposed to be the equivalent of the US FDA. I don't know, google may have lied to me so I wasn't just throwing together a bunch of random letters. Okay, here we go again. Just checked and still I don't own Flashpoint...shocker, I know. Anyhow, I still want to know what you think so thanks for reviewing!_

"...just keep your heads down, do your jobs, and we'll get him out of there and off to the hospital." Ed finished speaking to the two young medics as Greg approached him.

"I told him we'd be in in five minutes. He seems pretty receptive to negotiation," Greg explained as he and Ed started walking towards the van again. "try and play on that. He's having a tough run, early onset degenerative disease...he's just looking for a way to make things better." Ed nodded as he took a few deep breaths to calm his features.

"Copy that." He said calmly as he looked at Greg with his icy blue eyes. "Get the wife down here ASAP, maybe she can give us some more insight." He added before checking his weapons.

"Sam, are you in position?" Greg asked into his headset as he saw the medics approaching with a backboard and a few bags of gear.

"Copy Sarge." He whispered crouched near the door in the storage room. "Just tell me when to move, I don't have a good visual from here." He added as he looked at the fluorescently lit store. When they'd gotten off their shift the sun had been bright in the sky and when they'd gotten on the scene the sun had just been setting; now it was dark outside the store and the harsh lighting of the scene gave Sam the unnerving feeling of being out of place.

"Okay Sam, they're moving up to the doors now, you've probably got a minute until they'll be in." Greg narrated as he watched Ed, followed by the medics, walk slowly into the no man's zone that developed between the police barricade and the store. They stopped moving about thirty feet from the doors and Ed gave a small, nearly unnoticeable nod. Greg picked up his phone and dialed the store; it was picked up almost immediately.

"Hi Alan, this is Greg Parker again." Greg spoke calmly as he saw Alan move slightly closer to a window and peek his head out. "The medics and my officer are ready to come get Tom to the hospital and to give you the key to the pharmacy."

"Okay...okay just no surprises." His voice was shaky and he seemed to be begging more than demanding.

"No surprises Alan. Just like we talked about: Constable Lane is going to walk the medics in and give you the key to the pharmacy, they're going to set Tom up to be moved to the hospital, and then they'll leave. Sound good, Alan?" Greg asked calmly, reassuringly.

"Yeah...yeah that's good."

"Alright, we just need someone to unlock the doors, can you do that for us?" Greg asked as he saw him move closer to the front windows of the store. A tiny crackle in his ear gave way to Jules's voice.

"Sierra One has the solution."

"Hold, Sierra One." Greg whispered as he covered the receiver on the phone. Alan stood for a moment looking out the window before returning to the interior of the store.

"Sierra One, no joy." Jules reported as Alan appeared again partially hidden behind Kelly who was fumbling with the locks on the door. When the latch finally clicked open Kelly seemed to freeze and then slowly walk backwards. Greg held the phone close to his ear and listened to the quick breathing on the other end.

"Alright, tell your guy the door is open and that he can come in slowly." Alan said shakily.

"Okay Alan I'll do that. Thank you." Greg said as he heard the connection end. "Ed, whenever your'e ready the door is unlocked."

"Copy, Boss." Ed said calmly as he nodded to the medics. He moved slowly to the store and pushed open the heavy glass door. The medics, both young men, stayed within a pace behind him as they tried to control their nervousness. Ed took in the scene as he walked to the far end of the store and raised his hands in a non-confrontational move. He was at an angle where he was only able to see Alan and Kelly, who he had standing in front of him as a shield. Ed continued to move at a steady pace towards Alan until he was about fifteen feet away. Out of the corner of his eye, he was able to see Sam slowly advancing down the aisle they'd spoken about. Ed made a conscious effort to keep his eyes straight ahead for fear of giving up Sam's position.

"Hi Alan, my name is Ed Lane. I'm just here to make sure you get the key you want and to make sure that we get Tom to the hospital. Is it okay if the medics start to help him?" Alan only nodded as he kept his eyes on Ed. "Okay, you guys go ahead." Ed said to the men on either side of him. "Thank you, Alan." He said as he put his arms down slowly.

"I don't want to surprise you," Ed explained as he smiled a bit. "I'm going to reach into this front pocket on my vest here," He nodded his head towards his chest. "and I'm going to get the key that you need. That okay?" Ed didn't move until he got a nod from Alan again. He slowly moved his right hand towards his chest and undid the pocket. He fished his thumb and index finger into the pocket and pulled out a small keyring. Part of him was keeping an eye on the medics who were working quietly on the ground a few feet away, partially obscured. Between the shelves of the aisles and the angle at which he was standing, Ed was unable to see the majority of the scene, the parts that he needed to see.

"Alan, I'm going to move forward a bit and put this key ring on the conveyor belt here, okay?" Ed asked again. Alan nodded and seemed to be relaxing ever so slightly as Ed kept his hands up and started walking towards the register where Wordy's wallet still laid open. As the rest of the situation slowly came into view Ed tried to take everything in.

The first thing that his eyes were drawn to was the blood on the shelf and the floor but he quickly shifted his gaze away as he realized the medics were nearly done getting Tom ready to move. His eyes rested for a moment on Wordy standing about fifteen feet past Alan with his hands behind him, obviously restrained. A shrill cry interrupted his train of thought as his eyes flew to the floor.

"Uncle Ed!" Danielle had yelled out at the sight of Ed and seemed to be getting up from her spot on the floor when multiple yells filled the store.

"Dani, sit down!" Wordy said strongly. He wasn't one to yell at his daughters and it was obvious that Danielle was shaken but new voices were adding to the mix.

"Danielle honey, you need to sit next to your sister right now." Ed said softly, trying to get her attention as he smiled to her. Alan had been watching the scene intently and looking between Wordy and Ed.

"How does she know you?" He seemed to be somewhere between worried and angry as he held the gun closer to Kelly's head. When neither man answered after an instant, he yelled. "How does she know you!"

"Alan," Ed said calmly as he stayed still. "Danielle and Claire know me because I've worked with their father for a long time-"

"What division are you?" Alan asked Wordy loudly as he pointed the gun towards him. "Tell me!" He yelled again as Wordy closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"I'm a Constable First Class on The Strategic Response Unit, Team One." Wordy said as he saw Alan's eyes widen and the darken.

"SRU." He restated as a sardonic smile broke out on his face. "Of course I have that luck. It's not just a cop and his kids I take hostage, no, couldn't just have my meds and get out, I end up taking a cop from the most elite unit on the best team hostage..." He still had an unnerving smile on his face as he broke out laughing. The medics gave Ed a look that they were finished and though every nerve in his body begged him stay and not abandon his friend, he knew that he needed to get the injured hostage to the hospital.

"Boss..." Ed whispered into his earpiece.

"Eddie, it's your job to get that hostage out. You need to do that now. You'll go back for Wordy but right now that kid needs you." Greg said confidently into his microphone as he watched the scene unfold from the truck. Ed took a deep breath and gave Wordy an almost undetectable nod before speaking.

"Alan," Ed softly got his attention before continuing. "The medics and I are going to take Tom to the hospital now. If you want to talk about anything at all just pick up that phone over there, okay?" Alan seemed to grow serious again and nodded as Ed moved over to the backboard. He gave Wordy one more glance and saw tears rolling down Danielle's face as she stood next to her sister. He had to hold back a grimace as he took a bag of medical gear from the medic and walked slowly with them back to the door. He saw Sam again kneeling behind a small display of magazines. _He's like a gargoyle that one. _Ed thought as he watched out of the corner of his eye. Sam's chest barley rose and fell as he breathed. _All the time he's had as a sniper, he could be there for hours._ Ed though vaguely as he held the door open for the medics and exited after them.

Greg took an audible sigh of relief when he saw Ed leaving the store. So much could have gone wrong in the five minutes that Ed spent inside and Greg was glad that he didn't have two men hostage now.

"How you doing Eddie?" Greg asked softly as he approached Ed and the medics near the ambulance. Ed nodded as he helped close the doors to the ambulance and slapped the back door. He turned and looked at Greg with a hard face. They stayed standing for a moment, looking at each other until Ed turned quickly and started walking towards the van. "Ed," Greg said as he caught up and kept his pace. "Ed, talk to me."

"That guy is law enforcement." Ed continued, ignoring Greg's searching eyes. "Not a cop, I don't know what it is but he knows law enforcement." Ed said strongly. Spike's voice came over the earpieces as Greg continued to look critically at Ed.

"I'm looking into employment history but it looks like he's been on disability for almost a year, these records are hell to get through. I can tell you that he's in serious debt though."

"Copy Spike," Greg said. "ETA on the wife?"

"She should be here within the next fifteen minutes. I have a uniform picking her up." Spike replied.

"Good work Spike, let's get some more info on our man here. Is Sam's earpiece picking up on the conversation?"

"Loud and clear, Boss."

"Okay, I'll be in the van in two." Greg said as he looked critically again at Ed. "Eddie, are you okay?" Greg asked seriously.

"I'm good, Boss." He said with a hard face again. "What do you want me to do?" Greg looked at him for a moment longer before nodding.

"Talk to Shelly, let her know that they're all okay." Greg said softly as Ed nodded and looked towards the SUV where they instructed her to stay. "Then come to the van." Ed nodded and walked off to the black SUV to an eagerly waiting Shelly.

_I know this has taken me forever to post; I had a lot of trouble with this chapter. I'm still not really very happy with it. I've outlined the next few chapters so hopefully they flow a little bit better than this one. I don't know what it is the past few days but everything I write seems to be coming out really awkwardly phrased. Tell me what you think, give me suggestions, both. P.S. It is April 1st and it snowed. I feel like I needed to say that._


	8. Chapter 8

Like Coming Home-Chapter 8

_Why is it that I always get really bored of my stories while I'm writing them? I don't know what it is, I get the idea and I get super excited and can't wait to write it and the first few chapters come out great and then I just lose all me steam. It's really weird. Okay, well enough of my ranting, back to the story. Thanks if you're reviewing, I really appreciate it, keeps me motivated to finish things. I still don't own Flashpoint incase you were wondering...poor college student...so yeah..._

Wordy felt his heart beat loudly in his chest, hearing the blood rushing in his ears and sweat roll down the side of his face. When the doors had closed and Ed had left with the medics and Tom, Alan had let Kelly go and told her to sit with the others. She sat and held Danielle's hand, comforting her as she cried. Claire was also crying and Mr. Bryant was holding her hand. Wordy wanted to be with them, wanted to desperately to go back in time and avoid this entire trip, but he knew that thinking about the past would get him no where.

Alan was sitting against a wall about fifteen feet away form Wordy and the rest of the hostages. He turned the key to the pharmacy over in his hands and looked at it carefully before looking at the pool of blood on the ground in front of him. His features were seemed downtrodden as he took slow breaths. After a few minutes of quiet (aside from the girls muffled sobs) another smile broke out on Alan's face.

"Irony, it's a real bitch isn't it?" He asked before looking up at Wordy.

"How do you mean?" Wordy tried to tread carefully. Alan had been going from depressed to angry to happy in short periods of time. He knew that the fluctuations in these extremely different emotions was usually not a good sign and he didn't want to prompt Alan back to anger.

"Just life, it's all irony..." He said as he seemed to laugh a bit. "I mean, you need medication to work but how are you supposed to pay for your medication if you're not getting a paycheck?" Wordy nodded in understanding and Alan continued. "When you're wife's pregnant, she's supposed to be at home resting, buying baby clothes in your little starter house...she's not supposed to be working while I try to figure out how to pay the bills on our one room apartment. It took us so long to get pregnant...the doctor told us two weeks after I got my diagnosis..." Alan trailed off and looked at the key again.

"Alan...?" Wordy said softly. He was opening up and Wordy didn't want him to get lost in his head, he wanted to hear what was happening in his mind.

"Parkinson's, early onset, rapid progression. This is my last week of disability leave before they cut me off, I've got final notices on my electric bill and my water bill, and the last of my medication will be wearing off in a few hours. To top that all off, I've got an SRU officer hostage with his family and his team is outside trying to figure out how to enter the building or kill me. I know the percentages, SRU has the most elite officers and Team One has the best of the best success rates; there's no way out of this." Wordy was eager to respond but he knew that he needed to stay calm.

"I hear you, Alan. It must be really overwhelming to have some medical issues and bills and your wife being pregnant. I've been there too and I know that sometimes it's really scary and frustrating." Wordy nodded as he took a breath. "But I want you to know that there is a way out of this." Alan shook his head with downcast eyes.

"Yeah, yeah, put down the gun and walk out, I know. But why? Why bother..." Alan was receding back into his mind so Wordy spoke strongly.

"Alan, your wife needs you. Your wife and your child will need you to be there for them." Wordy paused and saw that Alan wouldn't look at him. "Do you know if it's a boy or a girl?" He asked with a small smile as he glanced towards his own girls. They sat quietly now as they held each others hands. Wordy smiled at them before turning back to Alan.

"It's a boy." He said softly. Wordy nodded with a bit of a smile.

"I've got three little girls," Wordy's smile grew larger as he nodded. "and I can't even begin to describe to you how unbelievable it is to be a parent, to see your child be born and grow. Have you picked out a name for him?" Alan looked at Wordy for a moment before speaking.

"Aidan, Aidan Tyler Matthews." Alan said sadly. Wordy nodded before speaking.

"Aidan is going to want to know his Dad, Alan. The love of your family will help you through this. I know it's tough to see now but you can make it through this." Wordy said strongly. Alan was quiet for a few minutes as he looked from the key in his hand to the pool of blood in front of him. There seemed to be tears in his eyes as he turned and spoke.

"When this last dose of the Prolopa wears off the symptoms are going to come back at full force." He said slowly. "First it'll be my hands, that's how it started, I won't be able to type or cook, I won't be able to button my own pants. Then I'll lose the rest of my muscle control slowly. I won't be able to eat, I'll start losing my memory...by the time my son is out of diapers, I'll probably need them...that is if I'm not in jail, which I will be after this." He paused and looked up at Wordy glumly. "If I can't provide for my wife and my son then I'm a burden to them." The phone started ringing and Alan looked at it without making a move to get up. He looked at the key in his hands and put it on the floor where he sat before grasping his gun tighter and walking towards the phone. He didn't say anything as he held the receiver up to his ear.

_I know this is a short chapter, I've finally got the rest of the story outlined so I'm hoping to finish it up tonight or tomorrow; looking like maybe three more chapters but don't hold me to that. For the record: I don't think Wordy has Parkinson's. I'm not going to say anything further incase people haven't seen "Fault Lines" but if you want to vent, review or message me. Enough about that, more to come soon, probably tonight._


	9. Chapter 9

Like Coming Home-Chapter 9

_This is probably also going to be a short chapter. I've found that whenever I outline something it turns out being a lot shorter than the things I've kind of just written. Maybe that's a good thing, less ramble-y but I don't really like the way it feels having it outlined and writing it, feels less emotional...I don't know, you guys getting that feeling or am I just not making sense? Let me know. Back to story world though, we're going to backtrack a few minutes and look at it from outside. You'll see when we overlap but I just wanted to let you know. Also, and I know this is going to come as a big shock: I still don't own Flashpoint._

"Spike, what's happening?" Greg asked as he walked into the truck and sat down to look at the computer screens.

"Good question, Sarge." Spike said as he leaned over and watched Alan sit down. "He took the key but he hasn't gone to the pharmacy yet." Spike Greg leaned towards the screen to try and see the grainy images clearer. They heard Alan's voice come into their ears from Sam's microphone.

"Irony, it's a real bitch isn't it?" Greg looked carefully at the screen and listened to the dialogue Wordy was trying to establish when Ed walked into the van.

"Boss, the wife is here. You want to talk to her?" Ed asked as he looked at the screen.

"Can you do it Ed? I want to listen to this, I don't know if I like the tone..." Greg said as he focused on Alan's body language the best the screens would allow. Ed nodded before stepping out of the van and approaching the police car where Rose Matthews sat.

"Mrs. Matthews?" Ed asked as he approached the woman. She jumped a bit as he opened the door and instinctively grasped her bulging stomach before calming a bit.

"Um, yes. Please, call me Rose." She said shakily.

"The officer wouldn't tell me what was going on, just that my husband was involved in a robbery. Is Alan okay?" She asked nervously. Ed kept his face calm but he internally grimaced. He took a breath before continuing.

"Rose, I'm going to be honest with you, Alan is trying to rob the pharmacy at gunpoint. He has some hostages and someone's been injured but Alan's being very cooperative." Ed paused a moment and let her take the news in before continuing. "I know this is tough to hear Rose but can you give us an idea of what he's thinking?" Ed asked hopefully as he saw Rose struggle to think.

"I...I don't know what to say. He's been struggling since the diagnosis almost a year ago..."

"Parkinson's, right?" She nodded. "What kinds of symptoms has he had?" Ed asked. She looked at her hands before speaking.

"Well it started with insomnia, I mean he's had sleep problems his whole life so we didn't think anything of it, but then his memory started to...I don't know, he just wasn't able to remember some random things. Then the muscle spasms were what brought him to the doctor; he was a court stenographer, he was having trouble typing and...well that was a year ago." She said as Ed nodded.

"He was trying to get Prolopa from the pharmacy..." Ed started as Rose nodded.

"The Prolopa was the one thing that gave him hope. He was in a clinical trial, Alan was resistant to all the other medication we tried, but the Prolopa was working really well. In a few weeks he could have gone back to work but the disability ended. He couldn't afford to get the medication without the job and he couldn't get the job back without the medication. I went back to work but I'm due in two months and the bills are piling up..." Ed nodded.

"So he's overwhelmed, he's not sleeping well, is there anything else you think we should know, Rose?" She seemed to hesitate as she looked away from Ed. "Rose, this is really important. We want him to walk out here and we want him to see his baby be born and we need all the information we can get in order for us to do that." She nodded.

"I don't know if it's significant...I...the lawyers and the doctors have been telling him the past year that he should make sure all his documents are updated and accurate but...well last week I saw that he had updated his will. I thought that he'd just picked up all of the paperwork from the lawyer and that he'd decided to update everything...I don't know if it means anything." Rose looked at Ed almost pleadingly. He nodded and thanked her as he walked away quickly.

"Boss, you hear that?" Ed asked as he jogged back to the truck.

"I heard that, you need to hear this." Greg said as Ed walked in and stood at the monitor.

"If I can't provide for my wife and my son then I'm a burden to them." Greg took a breath before dialing the number of the store. As the phone rang unanswered, Ed spoke quietly over the radio.

"Sam, stay sharp." Ed said before Alan moved to the phone.

"Did he leave the key on the ground?" Spike asked as he leaned forward and nearly pressed his nose against the computer screen. "Yeah, yeah the key's right there." He whispered and pointed as Greg listened to the other end of the line. Alan didn't speak when he picked up the phone and after a minute of silence, Greg began the conversation.

"Hi Alan, this is Greg Parker again. How's everyone doing in there?" Alan took a few breaths before speaking.

"Everyone's fine." He said simply, no emotion in his voice.

"I'm glad to hear that, Alan." Greg said with a genuine voice. "I wanted to talk about how this can end. We want everyone to walk out of there safely Alan. What do you think?" There was a long pause before Alan spoke again.

"I don't want to do this anymore." He said with a flat, unemotional voice. Greg thought hard about what to say before speaking.

"I hear you, Alan. It's been a long night." Greg replied sympathetically. "You know, your wife is here, she's worried about you." Greg saw Alan tense over the computers.

"What? She can't be here for this." Alan said firmly as he straightened his posture a bit.

"What do you mean Alan?" Greg started asking before being cut off.

"Just get her away, you hear that, get her away." Alan said firmly. He paused for a minute and looked past Wordy at Claire and Danielle. "I'm sending out the hostages." He said softly. Greg nodded to Ed and he left the van as Greg continued to talk.

"Thank you Alan, I really do appreciate that. I want to talk about you coming out also. I'm going to be honest, I'm a little worried-"

"Get my wife out of here. Thank you Greg." He said before hanging up the phone. Greg shook his head as he shared a look with Spike before speaking into his microphone.

"Sam, be ready with less lethal once the hostages are out. I don't think our subject wants to walk out of here. Possible suicide risk, tread careful."

_I know, another short chapter but think about it this way, you're getting three chapters (still possibly four) in one night, so that's StarNobleMocha for correcting me about the Health Canada thing a couple of chapters ago. Thanks to all of you who are reviewing (and reading of course) but especially reviewing. I think I'll be able to get another chapter out tonight and depending on where I cut that one I might finish it up or I might wait for morning to finish it. We'll see how the cookie crumbles...I'm hungry...where are those cookies..._


	10. Chapter 10

Like Coming Home-Chapter 10

_Damn it, no cookies, only lots and lots of EZ-Mac and the microwave is all the way downstairs...Enough of my whining though. Hope you're enjoying the story. I think this is going to be the last real chapter, real meaning on scene. There might be another short one after this to sum things up. Good, now that that's decided let's move on. You guys still liking this? I don't know, I loved the idea but I'm not liking the follow through on my part. Okay, I still don't own Flashpoint and I'd really appreciate your reviews._

"Get out of here." Alan said softly after hanging up the phone. Wordy watched him carefully and was worried about the sudden changes in his affect and body language. "Get out of here." He said again, a bit firmer. Wordy nodded slightly as he moved towards the other hostages. He spoke first to the two adults.

"Go straight to the black SUVs, someone will show you." He said as he instructed Kelly to help Mr. Bryant up. "Girls," He said softly as he got on his knees near them. Go with Mr. Bryant and Kelly. You girls go straight to Uncle Greg or Uncle Ed and they'll take you to Mommy. Tell me what you have to do." Wordy asked softly.

"Go to Uncle Greg and Uncle Ed." Claire said through teary eyes. Wordy smiled.

"Good girl." He leaned forward and kissed both of their foreheads.

"Daddy, aren't you coming with us?" Danielle whispered shakily.

"I'm going to make sure everyone is safe and then I'll come see you girls, okay?" He said with a smile.

"But Daddy, I don't want to leave without you." Danielle whispered again, renewed tears coming to her eyes. Wordy saw Mr. Bryant standing and he knew that they needed to move.

"Girls, can you do one more thing to help me?" He asked as they nodded their heads. "Mr. Bryant and Kelly don't know who Uncle Ed and Uncle Greg are. I need you to show them. Can you girls do that?" He asked as they nodded again. "Good. Hold your sister's hand. I love you girls so much." He said as he nodded to Kelly. He watched the four of them walk out of the store from his spot about ten feet from Alan.

"Go." He said simply in a sad voice.

"I don't think that's a good idea Alan. Can you tell me what you're thinking about?" Wordy prompted as he tried to roll his stiff shoulders, his hands still restrained behind his back. Alan looked at him coldly.

"Just get out of here, I'm letting you go." He said, partially angry, partially confused.

"I'm going to stay as long as it takes for you to walk out of here with me Alan." He considered what to say next before speaking again. "You're thinking about a permeant solution to a temporary problem and I don't want you to make a mistake you can't take back." Wordy said sincerely. Alan looked at him carefully for a few minutes before looking at the gun in his hands.

"My problem isn't temporary though. There's no way out of the debt, the disease..."

"Alan, you don't know that. I know that right now it's tough to find hope but you need to hang on. Not just for yourself, but your wife and your son." Wordy shook his head a bit as he stepped closer. "Alan, Aidan needs a Dad, he needs you no matter what." Wordy said passionately. Alan shook his head subtly. The lines in his face seemed to have deepened over the past hours and he looked as though he had aged. Wordy looked at him with a small smile as he raised his gaze. Wordy's deep brown eyes met Alan's dead green ones as he started to slowly speak.

"My son is better off this way. Tell my wife, I'm sorry." Alan said as he raised the gun to his temple.

"No! Alan, no!" Wordy said as new sounds surrounded them. Wordy saw Sam at the end of the aisle out of the corner of his eye before a flash bang shattered a window and emitted it's loud explosion. Most people, including Alan, were disoriented by the sudden loud explosion but Wordy has spent so much time on entry teams that he barley noticed the grenade. He charged forward and tackled Alan to the ground, knocking the gun from his hands as Sam and Ed both approached, yelling over the confusion.

"Hands! Let me see your hands! Stay there." Sam yelled as he stepped up and kept his gun trained on Alan.

"Wordy, you okay?" Ed said in a tone of carefully masked panic. He holstered his gun and helped Wordy roll off of Alan.

"I'm fine, Ed. Get my wrists?" He asked as he held his restrained arms up. Ed quickly grabbed his pocket knife and cut through the bandages. Wordy rolled his shoulders and bent his arms while massaging his wrists as he got to his feet and let Ed help Sam get Alan to his feet. When he was standing Wordy walked into his line of sight.

"Why didn't you just let me die?" He asked, first softly but growing louder. "Why didn't you just let me die on my own terms! I just want to die, let me go!" He yelled at Sam, who held one of his arms tightly. Tears were in Alan's eyes as he looked at Wordy coldly. "I just want to die now, on my own terms! Why didn't you let me die?" Wordy stood and took the verbal outburst with downcast eyes before Sam led Alan out of the store, still yelling.

"You alright, buddy?" Ed asked as he placed a gentle hand on Wordy's shoulder. He was looking at his sore wrists and trying to regain circulation as he saw his hands shake a bit. _Adrenaline is pumping._ He thought as he rolled his shoulders again.

"I'm good, Ed. Thanks." He said sincerely as he looked up and met the clear blue eyes.

"Anytime, Wordy." He smiled and put his hand on Wordy's shoulder again to lead him out of the store. Wordy noticed himself being led towards an ambulance before ducking out from under Ed's grip. "Wordy..." Ed started but was quickly interrupted.

"Ed, I'm fine. I told the girls I'd find them as soon as I came out, where are they? Where's Shelly?" He asked as he felt jarred back into his reality. Three girls, a mortgage he could barley afford, a job that he loved but he went to every day knowing it could be his last. He shook his head quickly to clear his mind as he saw the glint of blonde hair in the window of one of the SUVs. He found himself running over before he even listened to or comprehended Ed's answer to his question. He ran up and flung open the door only to nearly be knocked down by Danielle and Claire jumping into his arms.

"Hey, hey," Wordy said softly as he held them in tight hugs, both girls crying onto his shoulders. "Shhh. I'm so proud of both you girls. You were so brave and I'm so proud of you." He whispered into their ears as tears came to his eyes as well. "Shhh, everything's okay now. Shhh." He knelt on the cool pavement and comforted them until he felt them both heavy in his arms with sleep. He stood and put them in the backseat of one of the SUVs before quietly closing the door. Shelly had been standing nearby and Wordy approached her with open arms and an apologetic look.

"Shel-" He started but was cut off by a smothering hug. He stood a few minutes in the embrace before he spoke again. "Shel, we're all okay now honey. I'm sorry. We're all okay." He said again before he felt her take a step back and wipe her face. "We're okay." He said again, looking into her eyes. She nodded with teary eyes as Greg and Ed approached them. Wordy nodded in their direction before letting out a deep sigh.

"Thanks, Boss." He said as he looked towards Greg's warm eyes. He nodded.

"No problem, Wordy. You did great today." He saw Wordy's gaze drift away from his and saw the bits of disbelief in his features but he also saw the deep bags forming under his eyes. "Go home and get some sleep. You weren't technically on scene or on shift so you don't need to debrief tonight," Wordy smiled a bit before Greg continued. "but after the vacation, which you are taking starting tomorrow," Greg's tone left no room for argument as he continued. "we're going to talk about this." Wordy nodded as Shelly moved forward and put her arm around his waist. "Eddie, why don't you go with them? You can drop Clark off at home and then swing back to HQ to wrap things up." Ed nodded as he, Wordy and Shelly walked towards the SUV where Claire and Danielle slept.

"Oh and Wordy," Greg called as he stopped in the street and turned towards the SUV. "I think you'll need this." He said as he tossed a rectangular box in his direction. Wordy caught it and turned it over in his hands as he smiled. "Cherry flavor is the way to go." Greg said with a smile as he nodded his head and continued towards the van. Wordy put the medicine in his pocket as went and sat in the front seat with Ed and Shelly got into the back.

The drive back to the house was silent as the girls slept in the back seat, Ed careful to avoid bumps and pot holes. As they pulled into the driveway Wordy and Ed went to the backseat and each took one of the girls in their arms as Shelly opened the front door. Ed and Wordy went straight up stairs and Wordy nodded his head towards Claire's room, an unspoken sign for Ed to put her in bed. Wordy stood outside the room Danielle and Allie shared and waited for Ed to come back to open the door for him. When Ed returned, he slowly opened the door, hoping that Allie was asleep and trying not to disturb her. They were surprised to see Clark with a textbook and a flashlight in hand, reading aloud in a high pitched, story like voice.

"The early years of the Roman Republic were marked by an attempt on the part of patrician families to achieve a monopoly of secular and sacred office. The fall of the monarchy also meant the partial loss..." He saw Wordy and Ed walk in and a blush rose in his checks. Allie stirred slightly and he spoke again in the story telling voice. "If I stop talking like this, she wakes up. My throat is killing me. I read all the books you had but had to resort to Roman history...it always knocks me out." Clark smiled as Ed walked over and patted his shoulder.

"Come on downstairs, we'll get you something to drink." Wordy whispered as he pulled the covers up over Danielle and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. Clark gathered his books and followed Ed and Wordy softly down the stairs and into the kitchen. Shelly poured him a glass of water and he took large gulps of it before yawning.

"We've got to get going, Clark. I've got to get you home then I need to get back to HQ." Ed said as he stood from the table. Clark nodded and went to put his glass in the sink.

"Clark, we can't thank you enough." Shelly said as she hugged him tightly.

"It's no problem Mrs. Wordsworth." He said nonchalantly. Wordy reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet (which Ed had had the clear mind to grab before leaving the scene) and he pulled out a few bills.

"Clark, thank you." Wordy said as held out the money for Clark. He shook his head.

"I...I can't, this was an emergency...I didn't want to be paid..." Clark looked to his father.

"Wordy,"

"No, Clark please, you deserve this." He said firmly as he put the money in Clark's hand. He nodded and smiled.

"Thank you." Clark looked Wordy over carefully again as Clark got his coat on.

"Wordy, get some sleep. You look exhausted." Ed said as he put his hand on his shoulder.

"Will do. Thanks again." He said as he walked them to the door. He plopped down at the kitchen table as Shelly offered to make him something to eat.

"Nah. I'm not hungry, thanks though." Wordy added a smile as she walked over and sat next to him.

"Are you okay honey?" She asked, concern in her eyes.

"I'm fine, just thinking." Wordy said softly. She nodded and yawned.

"I'm going to check on Allie and then I'm going to bed." She got up form the table and checked that the backdoor was locked. "You coming upstairs?" She asked as she stood in the door frame between the rooms.

"I'll be up in a few minutes." He said with a smile. "I love you honey." He said softly. She came over and gave him a kiss before leaving the room and dimming the lights.

Wordy sat at the table in silence until he heard their bedroom door close. He took a few deep breaths as silent tears came to his eyes. He looked at the family photos hanging on the wall and felt himself get chills as he thought about two of his girls being hostages. He reached towards his wallet which he'd left on the table and went to put it in his pocket before pausing for a moment. He held it out and pulled the remaining cash out of the section._ Damn, I have to go to the bank._ He though as he vaguely wondered if Greg would let him come in after two or three days instead of waiting the whole week, he needed to save those vacation days incase he ever needed them. As he put his wallet in his pocket again he felt his fingers twitch ever so slightly. He blinked his eyes a few times as he felt the exhaustion overcoming him. He held his hands out in front of him and watched carefully as his right hand quivered a bit. _God, I'm more exhausted than I thought. _He tried to convince himself.

_Is that a cruel ending? I'm sorry, it is isn't it? Well, sorry, but that's it for this story. Tell me what you think, do you hate me for leaving it like that? Well at least you got four updates in one night, I'm back in action! I've got some one-shots coming up next, maybe tomorrow. It's bed time now. Thanks for reading (and reviewing, right?)_


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